|| CF DESK ||

Bangladesh finally secured a victory against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, a venue where history hadn’t favored the Tigers. Until yesterday, Bangladesh had lost every ODI they played there.

After suffering a heavy defeat due to a batting collapse in the first ODI of the ongoing series, Najmul Hossain Shanto's team avoided similar mistakes in the second match, claiming a 68-run win to level the three-match series.

Bangladesh posted a total of 252 runs, powered by Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 76 and a quick 37 from Jaker Ali Anik. Later, a strong bowling performance led the red and green representatives to a 68-run victory, marking their first win in Sharjah and bringing the series to a 1-1 tie.

Despite the victory, captain Shanto expressed mixed feelings in his post-match presentation. Although he was named Player of the Match, he felt he could have stayed longer at the crease.

“To be very honest, I am not happy. I need to bat a bit longer. The wicket was difficult, especially against spinners. But the way I started, I was happy (with my innings),” said Shanto.

While Shanto was pleased with the bowling, he was especially happy with the team’s fielding efforts today. He also praised Jaker and Nasum Ahmed’s finishing role.

“The way Miraz and Nasum were bowling, credit goes to them. The way we started, Taskin again took out Gurbaz, who is an important batter (for Afghanistan). What I want from the fielding side is a lot of energy and they delivered today. I was happy with that. The way they (Jaker and Nasum) finished, it looked like we got the momentum. That is what I want with Jaker and from the lower and middle order. Hopefully they (Jaker and Nasum) can continue batting (like this).”

The final match of the series is scheduled for the 11th at the same venue and time.

However, there’s some uncertainty about Shanto’s participation, as he wasn’t on the field for the entire bowling innings due to an injury. He mentioned he would be able to confirm his availability closer to the game.